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Bulletin 378

9 February 2026

Welcome to our Early Years and Childcare Bulletin. Previous Bulletins are available at: Cheshire East Early years and Childcare Bulletin

Liquidlogic

Establishment portal – spring term midterm changes

Midterm changes will be accepted until Friday 13 March 2026. Please be mindful of this deadline when considering requests from parents to change the spring term claim on their parental declaration form.

Midterm changes submitted after 13 March 2026 will not be processed.

Business Support

Childcare Sufficiency Assessment Parent Survey

We would like to say thank you to all of the providers who have completed interviews/due to complete interviews for the Childcare Sufficiency Assessment with Place Group. Your support is appreciated. 

If you have any questions, please contact the Early Years and Childcare Team: Earlyyearsandchildcareteam@cheshireeast.gov.uk

To also assist with the Sufficiency Assessment, please share the below social media post with your parents so that their childcare needs can be captured:

Are you a parent who uses, or wants to use, early years childcare? Or do you have a school-aged child who uses, or may use, a before-school or after-school club or holiday club?

Cheshire East wants to hear your thoughts on early years childcare and wraparound childcare for any of your children aged 0-14 years old, or up to 25 years old if they have a special educational need or disability (SEND).

To tell the council about your childcare needs, simply complete this survey before Friday 20th February 2026: 
https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/CheshireEast-CSA2026-Parents/

If you have any questions about the local authorities’ responsibility to provide sufficient childcare, or the purpose of this survey, you can contact: Earlyyearsandchildcareteam@cheshireeast.gov.uk

Any feedback received will be gratefully appreciated.

Do Something Big case studies

The Department for Education's Do Something Big campaign is looking for early years professionals to share their experiences. They're building a bank of case studies from people across all roles and settings – whether you're a childminder, work in an independent nursery, or are part of a larger organisation.

What's involved:

There are different ways to contribute, and the DfE campaign team will work with you to find a suitable format.

Options include:

• Providing a quote about your career in early years
• Taking part in social media content
• Participating in media interviews

There are opportunities throughout the year, so once you've submitted your form, the team will keep your details on file and get in touch when something suitable arises. If you or someone you know is interested, please complete the Do Something Big case study form: https://forms.office.com/e/HJMeGY3bv9

Safeguarding

OPSS issues Product Recall on Hobbycraft Giant Box of Craft (PSD case number 2601-0364)

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has issued a Product Recall to warn about a safety risk associated with the Hobbycraft Giant Box of Craft.   

The recall relates to vials of coloured sand included in the product, which may be contaminated with asbestos, a banned substance that poses a health risk even at very low levels of exposure. The product does not meet the requirements of the General Product Safety Regulations 2005.  

Consumers are advised to stop using the product immediately and keep it out of the reach of children. If the sand has been used, clean-up sites where the product was used using wet cloths to avoid generating dust. Wear gloves and a mask. Double bag the sand, gloves, mask, and cloths.  Keep children and other people away from areas where the sand has been used until the area has been cleaned.   

Retailers and childcare providers are encouraged to share this recall with parents and carers to reduce the risk of harm and the recall notice includes instructions on how to either dispose of the product or return it safely to: Product Recall: Hobbycraft Giant Box of Craft (2601-0364) - GOV.UK  

National Updates

Early years screen time and usage

The government has committed to publishing guidance on early years screen time in April 2026. They are seeking evidence to inform the guidance.

Click on the button below to learn more and to provide evidence that will inform the development of new parental guidance on screen time and usage for early years (0-5 year-old) children.  

Free breakfast club roll out

The Department for Education have released a new blog on their Education Hub about the Free Breakfast Club roll out. 

Currently more than 180,000 pupils in the most disadvantaged communities are able to access free breakfast clubs. As children return from the 2026 Easter holidays, over 500 new clubs will launch, meaning free breakfast clubs will be operating in 1,250 schools and available to more than 300,000 children.

Click on the button below to read the blog. 

SEND

Early Years Forum – spring term dates

Please see below the dates for early years forum in spring term.

As a guide the north covers Holmes Chapel, Congleton, Macclesfield, Wilmslow, Poynton and Knutsford. The south covers Sandbach, Crewe, Alsager, Middlewich and Nantwich. If you are unsure of your locality, please contact your Portage Quality and Inclusion Practitioner for clarification or email Early Years Forum.

Earlyyearsforum@cheshireeast.gov.uk

For more information, click on the button below.

Early years forum – information for practitioners

Early Years SEN inclusion funding – spring term dates

Please see below the dates for SENIF in spring term.

All requests for Special Educational Needs Inclusion Funding (SENIF) must have a completed provision map to support the application. The provision map template is available on the application link SEND Inclusion Funding (cheshireeast.gov.uk) and should be used in conjunction with the SENIF policy documents. The provision map is essential when applying for support provided over and above ordinarily available inclusive provision. SENIF is to support children accessing the Early Education Entitlement hours only.

You will receive an email confirmation for all documents submitted to EarlyYearsSenHelpline@cheshireeast.gov.uk. If you do not receive confirmation, please contact 01625 374170.

Family Hubs

Cheshire East Family Hubs Local Plan Collaborative Events 2026

We are delighted to invite you to join us for a co-production event following the Department for Education’s recent Best Start in Life announcement.

The government’s Plan for Change sets an ambitious mission: to ensure every child has the best start in life and is ready to learn by the time they start school. By 2028, the aim is for a record 75% of children to reach a good level of development by the end of reception.

This event is an opportunity for schools, early years settings, and partners to come together to:

• Explore what the Best Start in Life mission means for our local area.
• Share ideas and expertise to shape how we deliver support for families and children.
• Strengthen collaboration between education, health, and community services.

Your input is vital in helping us break down barriers to opportunity and ensure every child can grow, play, learn, and thrive.

Our Local Plan will mirror our locality structure in Cheshire East, so please book onto the event which is taking place in your area:

N1 – Wilmslow and Knutsford/Congleton and Holmes Chapel

Tuesday 24th February, 1pm-3pm, Oakenclough Family Hub

N2 – Macclesfield North/Macclesfield South

Tuesday 10th February, 10am-12pm, Macclesfield Town Hall

S2 – Sandbach, Middlewich and Alsager/Crewe North

Monday 2nd March, 10am-12pm, Middlewich Canalside Conference Centre

This event for our colleagues from schools and settings is tailored towards Headteachers, Deputy or Assistant Headteachers and EYFS Leads.

To book your place please complete the form at: Cheshire East Family Hubs Local Plan Collaborative Events 2026 – Fill in form

Training

Cheshire East Chatters Early Speech and Language Lead Network

This term's Early Speech and Language Lead Network explores the current research and guidance around screen time in the early years, and its impact on brain and body development. There will also be an update from the Family Hubs team and we will be launching our annual 'Give your dummy to the Easter Bunny' campaign. Tuesday 10th March 2026 14:00 - 15:30 (Microsoft Teams) Wednesday 11th March 2026 18:30 - 20:00 (Microsoft Teams) Book your place via your ChESS Early Years Training Hub account.

Spring Term Training available on the Early Years Training Hub

The ChESS Early Years Training Hub has been updated with lots of training opportunities for the spring term, please take a look and book on now!

Upcoming training after half term:

SENCO Network - 23rd February 2026 13:00 - 14:30 (Oakenclough Family Hub) or 25th February 2026 16:00 - 17:30 (Sandbach Library)

These network sessions are intended to further develop your understanding, knowledge and skills as SENCO. At these meetings there will be opportunities for discussion with other SENCO’s, networking, sharing of effective practice/materials, input from other agencies and updates on new legislation/initiatives. Attendance at each termly network is highly recommended to keep your SEND knowledge up to date.

Are you Ready for Rhyme Time? - 23rd February 2026 14:00 - 16:00 (Monks Coppenhall Family Hub)

This training session looks at how you can use our Are you Ready for Rhyme Time? programme to support you to build and deliver an effective curriculum tailored to your individual needs. Learn about the importance of rhymes, songs and stories to support all aspects of a child's learning and development. You will find this session invaluable when supporting children to develop their early communication, language and literacy skills. Everyone will receive a copy of the Are you Ready for Rhyme Time? programme.

Supporting Speech Sounds - 24th February 2026 9:30 - 12:30 (Oakenclough Family Hub)

This course is designed to help you to understand and support children’s speech sound development. This session will discuss typical speech sound development in the early years and give you practical ideas for strategies to implement in your setting. You will also get the chance to have a go at some sound awareness activities to increase your confidence in carrying them out with children in your setting.

Prevent Awareness - 24th February 2026 18:30 - 20:00 (Microsoft Teams)

The Prevent Engagement Officer for Liverpool City Council will be leading this Prevent awareness session for early years providers. The training will highlight the differences between terrorism and extremism, explain the current terror threat level to the UK, the prevalence and the impact of the internet and social media on the radicalisation journey and why the Prevent strand is so important in helping to reduce that threat. It will also describe where the current threat to the UK in respect of terrorism is perceived to emanate from, along with some explanation about other ideologies that are of concern. This will include a description of some of the indicators that may be displayed by those who are or might be, susceptible to radicalisation. Most importantly it will explain the local referral process and how you can make a referral for anyone that you may have concerns about.

Responding to and Regulating Emotions in Early Years Settings - 25th February 2026 18:30 - 20:30 (Microsoft Teams)

*Please note: this training course was previously titled 'Emotion Coaching'*

Emotion Coaching is an evidence-based communication strategy that has been developed by psychologists. The strategy helps to support children to understand and self-regulate their emotions, empowering them to feel more confident and resilient. It is based on the principle that developing a nurturing and emotionally supportive relationship will improve children’s wellbeing and academic outcomes. Emotion Coaching enables a setting ethos of positive learning behaviour and gives confidence to practitioners to de-escalate situations when behaviour is challenging, and emotions are heightened. This training will cover an introduction to key psychological theories behind emotions, emotional literacy and communication, practical strategies and ways of working to encourage co-regulation and self-regulation of emotions within young children.

Effective Interactions - 26th February 2026 9:30 - 12:30 (Monks Coppenhall Family Hub)

This interaction training course aims to discuss and define terms relating to communication and why interaction is so important. During the session we will look at 'Top Tips for Talking' and ways you can adapt your interactions to promote communication and support the needs of the developing child. We will discuss how language levels and interaction styles differ between children and how you can differentiate to support individual children's communication development and then focus on the practicalities of how to integrate high quality adult-interaction into your daily routine.

Health and Safety in the Early Years - 26th February 2026 18:00 - 20:30 (Microsoft Teams)

This two-hour training course will provide essential knowledge and understanding of health and safety practices within early years and childcare settings. It has been specifically designed for practitioners who are responsible for maintaining safe environments for children. This training will help you understand your role in promoting a safe, healthy setting and in complying with statutory health and safety requirements. You will explore risk assessment procedures, accident prevention, safe use of equipment, and strategies to manage common hazards. The course will also cover procedures for reporting incidents and maintaining a safe environment that supports children’s wellbeing and learning. By the end of the session, you will have practical tools and confidence to implement robust health and safety practices in your setting.